How does distance affects gravity? (1 point)
• Gravity remains the same regardless of distance.
• Gravity is zero at any point in the solar system.
• Gravity increases with increasing distance.
• Gravity increases with decreasing distance.
Gravity increases with decreasing distance.
Gravity increases with decreasing distance.
Gravity actually decreases with increasing distance. More specifically, the strength of the gravitational pull between two objects is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them. This means that as the distance between two objects increases, the force of gravity between them decreases.
To understand why, we need to consider Newton's law of universal gravitation. According to this law, the force of gravity between two objects is directly proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers. Mathematically, it can be represented as:
F = G * (m1 * m2) / r^2
Where:
F is the force of gravity
G is the gravitational constant
m1 and m2 are the masses of the two objects
r is the distance between their centers
This equation shows that as the distance (r) between the two objects increases (assuming the masses remain constant), the force of gravity (F) decreases. So, gravity actually decreases with increasing distance.
Therefore, the correct answer is: Gravity increases with decreasing distance.